The Barranquilla, Colombia summer project with AMIGOS is unique because it’s only open to college students. Participants spend the first two weeks of the program taking classes in either Global Health or International Development (their choice!) at a university in Barranquilla. Then, they head to the field to live with host families in the Barranquilla area. While living in community, they complete a project alongside their Colombian peers and with the support of local partner organizations.

Here is a window into a day in the life of Anne, a 2017 participant:

Last week we had a super-successful community potluck. Our friend, a young leader named Ana Gabriel, helped us find more than thirty families to provide ingredients: celery, carrots, potatoes, lentils, yucca, and other tasty things. In less than two days, we’ve already planned a fundraiser for the first Jupro event, Youth in Progress. This group of young leaders puts on various leadership events for children, youth, adults, and seniors. We are excited to be a part of this movement!

In the morning, we went to the store together to purchase the ingredients for sancocho that we still needed. The supermarket is always full of people whose energy for cooking is contagious! Afterwards, we returned to split the vegetables with the Jupro volunteers, and I started to get hungry. If I could send the flavors to you online, I would! In the end, we sold all the food we made!

Although we will not be in Puerto Colombia to facilitate more events with Jupro, we will support them by sharing what we learned this summer with our families there. I hope I can eat more sancocho with Ana and the Jupro youth next year.

Sancocho de gallina is a staple of the cuisine of the Colombian coast. To make it yourself, check out this recipe!